Best Posts in Thread: Computer basic tutor needed

Never feel like you are just clueless and everyone else gets it. A key thing to know is that you aren't trying to figure out a computer. Rather, you are trying to figure out a graphics interface which someone thought would be the easiest way to use the application. Sometimes they do well, sometimes they screw it up horribly. Sometimes they have a business agenda which doesn't align with your needs in using the app.

If I really need to figure out an app which is complex or not user friendly then I'll just aimlessly explore it. In a big app, I may have to do this for quite some time before I get it. Patterns begin to emerge and memory takes hold. This is "internalizing" the app. And again, I do this largely by aimlessly clicking, tapping, swiping things.

Give a kid a cell phone and that kid will find things you never knew were on the phone. That's because they explore. They push through it finding every nook and cranny on the phone because it's a shiny toy.

For us, a smart phone is a tool to be used correctly and efficiently. We go in knowing what we want but we want to take the proper steps needed just to get that thing done.

Really we need to be more like kids. Maybe we don't have the time to explore and play. Maybe we do but the phone isn't where we want to direct that energy. But if I feel the phone or the application can be useful to me, then I'll take the time to explore.

 

You just need to tune into your inner 4 year old, as buried as that person may be. Push buttons. Swipe things. Don't worry about breaking stuff. Explore. Might just give you something to do for a while.

Incidentally, that's how I learn a new platform / programming language as a software developer. I have zero patience for books and tutorials. I just want to tear into it and make it bend to my will. Poke it and watch it squirm. At first it wins, but eventually it gives up its secrets.